Pet ducks released on my lake

[Duckiiess]

OJust because they are successfully reproducing doesn’t meant they are “living in the wild for years.” Seeing domestic ducks year after year has nothing to do with how happy and safe they are in an environment. It just means that people keep dumping them and you’re seeing the ones that are recently dumped or lucky enough to have not been picked off by predators yet. If they survive long enough to breed, which could literally be a single day for males, then of course you’ll see mixed-breed babies. Again, that is not good or indicative of happiness. Domestic breeds interbreeding with wild ones is horrible for the ecosystem. Why are you arguing so hard in favor of something that is so clearly not natural and not in the animals’ best interests? I swear, the amount of dangerous misinformation being given in this post is staggering.

How many coyotes do you think there are inside Austin's city limits? I admit I don't know how many of the Austin ducks are recently dumped, but as a kid in NJ we would see the same ones with very distinctive markings year after year. Cars were their main "predators" there from crossing the roads.
Again, perhaps they cannot live well in your environment, and I doubt they would live well in my current one also. That's not the case everywhere.
Migratory birds aren't going to stop their migrations just because they knocked up a pekin lol. I agree that if duck abandonment/ domestics in the wild became a larger issue then it would eventually have negative effects on the ecosystem, but the current levels are zero. The main misinformation in this thread is people making a non-issue into one, I'm just saying leave the birds alone, they're not doing any harm there.
If we're talking the natural way, then no domestic breeds would even exist in the first place, but hey here we are.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Just because they are successfully reproducing doesn’t meant they are “living in the wild for years.” Seeing domestic ducks year after year has nothing to do with how happy and safe they are in an environment. It just means that people keep dumping them and you’re seeing the ones that are recently dumped or lucky enough to have not been picked off by predators yet. If they survive long enough to breed, which could literally be a single day for males, then of course you’ll see mixed-breed babies. Again, that is not good or indicative of happiness. Domestic breeds interbreeding with wild ones is horrible for the ecosystem. Why are you arguing so hard in favor of something that is so clearly not natural and not in the animals’ best interests? I swear, the amount of dangerous misinformation being given in this post is staggering.

couldnt agree more!!!

 

[BelovedBirds]

How many coyotes do you think there are inside Austin's city limits? I admit I don't know how many of the Austin ducks are recently dumped, but as a kid in NJ we would see the same ones with very distinctive markings year after year. Cars were their main "predators" there from crossing the roads.
Again, perhaps they cannot live well in your environment, and I doubt they would live well in my current one also. That's not the case everywhere.
Migratory birds aren't going to stop their migrations just because they knocked up a pekin lol. I agree that if duck abandonment/ domestics in the wild became a larger issue then it would eventually have negative effects on the ecosystem, but the current levels are zero. The main misinformation in this thread is people making a non-issue into one, I'm just saying leave the birds alone, they're not doing any harm there.
If we're talking the natural way, then no domestic breeds would even exist in the first place, but hey here we are.

it is absolutely negative fir the ecosystem. We need to preserve nature, not muddy healthy bloodlines or defenceless hybrids.
It is extremely rare that domestic ducks last more than a few months, most species last a short while, flightless birds eventually taken by predators. It happens where I live, none if then last a year, not even ones that can fly. Just because it has happened in one place, which we cant even see evidence for, is not a reason to literally DEFEND leaving them.
Are you a vet? Are you checking the health of abandoned birds to prove they arent suffering?
Honestly at this point just be quiet, you sound so foolish. Most domestic ducks die horribly after abandonment.
You're trying so hard to defend something so wrong and laugh it off, why? Did you do it yourself?

 

[GranderTheGander]

Just because they are successfully reproducing doesn’t meant they are “living in the wild for years.” Seeing domestic ducks year after year has nothing to do with how happy and safe they are in an environment. It just means that people keep dumping them and you’re seeing the ones that are recently dumped or lucky enough to have not been picked off by predators yet. If they survive long enough to breed, which could literally be a single day for males, then of course you’ll see mixed-breed babies. Again, that is not good or indicative of happiness. Domestic breeds interbreeding with wild ones is horrible for the ecosystem. Why are you arguing so hard in favor of something that is so clearly not natural and not in the animals’ best interests? I swear, the amount of dangerous misinformation being given in this post is staggering.

You are also providing misinformation yourself. I took care of dumped domestic ducks in a city park for over 25 years. I came every day, except for snow or hurricane ones. I knew the domestic ducks and many, many lived for years and years. They did not get grabbed by predators left and right, because the pond was large enough to be predator proof. Keep in mind that captive ducks are often killed by predators, too, as so many posts in this forum have shown. Moreover, as long as they were kept properly fed, they seemed quite happy, with the exception of some periods of the mating season, when you had mating season violence, typical of ducks. Are all captive ducks happy with limited freedom?

The domestics were not successful breeders, either. With ONE exception, the only domestic ducks that had surviving ducklings were Muscovy ducks. A Rouen had three that survived and they were the mother's size, so they could not fly. There were also surviving mixed ducklings hatched by mallards, but not that many. Nature is not kind to the abnormal, and they were abnormal in color, having more yellow down. The surviving ones were their mother's size and they only mated up with and hung around mallards.

So, the park was never filled with mixed breed ducks, causing "horrible" damage to the "ecosystem". There have been cases of domestics with diseases causing outbreaks among wild ducks in some locations in the United States in the past, but wild ducks also have diseases they did not acquire from domestics. (I always wondered if if it wasn't starving or malnourished dumped Easter ducklings who became ill. The Easter duckling industry was cruel.) Also, the idea that mixed ducks are some horrible things is a joke, perpetuated by wildlife people who think wild ducks are holy, while domestics are not. Plus, you can't hunt domestics and money talks. Hunting provides big bucks to many groups and businesses.

I'm describing one location where the domestic duck population eventually died out, one reason being efforts were made to enforce the Easter ducklings laws that prohibited the sale of less than a certain number of ducklings to any individual. That pretty much stopped the dumping. So, this post is not to claim this is what occurs with all dumped domestics in all locations, but I would wager it wasn't the one exception. Nor is it to encourage people to dump domestics. It's simply to point out to you that you are providing misinformation by claiming domestics never do well and are never happy living the free life.

 

[BelovedBirds]

You are also providing misinformation yourself. I took care of dumped domestic ducks in a city park for over 25 years. I came every day, except for snow or hurricane ones. I knew the domestic ducks and many, many lived for years and years. They did not get grabbed by predators left and right, because the pond was large enough to be predator proof. Keep in mind that captive ducks are often killed by predators, too, as so many posts in this forum have shown. Moreover, as long as they were kept properly fed, they seemed quite happy, with the exception of some periods of the mating season, when you had mating season violence, typical of ducks. Are all captive ducks happy with limited freedom?

The domestics were not successful breeders, either. With ONE exception, the only domestic ducks that had surviving ducklings were Muscovy ducks. A Rouen had three that survived and they were the mother's size, so they could not fly. There were also surviving mixed ducklings hatched by mallards, but not that many. Nature is not kind to the abnormal, and they were abnormal in color, having more yellow down. The surviving ones were their mother's size and they only mated up with and hung around mallards.

So, the park was never filled with mixed breed ducks, causing "horrible" damage to the "ecosystem". There have been cases of domestics with diseases causing outbreaks among wild ducks in some locations in the United States in the past, but wild ducks also have diseases they did not acquire from domestics. (I always wondered if if it wasn't starving or malnourished dumped Easter ducklings who became ill. The Easter duckling industry was cruel.) Also, the idea that mixed ducks are some horrible things is a joke, perpetuated by wildlife people who think wild ducks are holy, while domestics are not. Plus, you can't hunt domestics and money talks. Hunting provides big bucks to many groups and businesses.

I'm describing one location where the domestic duck population eventually died out, one reason being efforts were made to enforce the Easter ducklings laws that prohibited the sale of less than a certain number of ducklings to any individual. That pretty much stopped the dumping. So, this post is not to claim this is what occurs with all dumped domestics in all locations, but I would wager it wasn't the one exception. Nor is it to encourage people to dump domestics. It's simply to point out to you that you are providing misinformation by claiming domestics never do well and are never happy living the free life.

I dont think anyone here is saying that domestics never survive, but as we keep saying, most of them suffer terribly, depending on where they are dumped.
If the ducks are in better ratio male to females, its more likely they'll survive mating seasons. If the pond is big enough and has a sheltered area safer from predators, they may last longer. If they can fly, their chances are better.
But if there are people feeding them a lot lf junk, or a lot of predators, or the pond is less sheltered, or the birds are flightless or there are too many drakes-as is the case in most of these situations- They aren't likely to last more than a few months.
Most of the time they just dont survive. They end up suffering.
It is ecologically damaging for a lot of reasons.
Imagine someone dumping 5 drakes at a pond full of wild drakes, with far less female ducks, which contributes to the hell that wild hens have to go through. They could successfully breed which muddies the wild genetics, and they eat up the food supply available for native species.
Or if someone dumps a couple ducks at a pond where people feed them candy or bread. Where rubbish bags end up littering the pond, there are too many drakes and the birds are flightless.

It should never be defended, the birds should be removed and more effort should go into preventing it.
Don't defend someone on this thread who is saying to leave the ducks there. There is so much evidence that its harmful, your personal opinion and experience doesnt rule out all the studying that others have done. 9/10 times the birds will suffer or have a negative effect on the ecosystem.

 

[GranderTheGander]

I dont think anyone here is saying that domestics never survive, but as we keep saying, most of them suffer terribly, depending on where they are dumped.
If the ducks are in better ratio male to females, its more likely they'll survive mating seasons. If the pond is big enough and has a sheltered area safer from predators, they may last longer. If they can fly, their chances are better.
But if there are people feeding them a lot lf junk, or a lot of predators, or the pond is less sheltered, or the birds are flightless or there are too many drakes-as is the case in most of these situations- They aren't likely to last more than a few months.
Most of the time they just dont survive. They end up suffering.
It is ecologically damaging for a lot of reasons.
Imagine someone dumping 5 drakes at a pond full of wild drakes, with far less female ducks, which contributes to the hell that wild hens have to go through. They could successfully breed which muddies the wild genetics, and they eat up the food supply available for native species.
Or if someone dumps a couple ducks at a pond where people feed them candy or bread. Where rubbish bags end up littering the pond, there are too many drakes and the birds are flightless.

It should never be defended, the birds should be removed and more effort should go into preventing it.
Don't defend someone on this thread who is saying to leave the ducks there. There is so much evidence that its harmful, your personal opinion and experience doesnt rule out all the studying that others have done. 9/10 times the birds will suffer or have a negative effect on the ecosystem.

Sorry, I will defend leaving the ducks where they are if they are doing well and are fed properly. And they can still live a long life eating junk, as long as they also get proper feed. You are assuming the worst at all times in all places. I do understand why you are, but I don't agree with you, and have no idea if your statistics are legit, or created by wildlife groups who think domestic ducks are nothing but worthless dirt, not holy like wild ducks that can be hunted or worshiped. By the way, I've seen the worst at mating season, and don't have to imagine anything about it. But the fact is life goes on for many dumped domestics even after bad mating seasons. Believe it or not.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Sorry, I will defend leaving the ducks where they are if they are doing well and are fed properly. And they can still live a long life eating junk, as long as they also get proper feed. You are assuming the worst at all times in all places. I do understand why you are, but I don't agree with you, and have no idea if your statistics are legit, or created by wildlife groups who think domestic ducks are nothing but worthless dirt, not holy like wild ducks that can be hunted or worshiped. By the way, I've seen the worst at mating season, and don't have to imagine anything about it. But the fact is life goes on for many dumped domestics even after bad mating seasons. Believe it or not.

Firstly, no one here thinks dumped domestics are worthless dirt? Nor do the wildlife groups, or RSPB even, who I have spoken to on this subject.
Let me use examples of my local ponds and the dumped ducks nearby.
Two dumped late last year, one dead already, one hanging on, a female in a pond of drakes.
People feed her rubbish, mainly bread. I have tried to give her healthier foods, and she wont touch them.

The other local pond, just recently someone shot all the ducks and left their bodies stacked to one side, it was done for sport with an air rifle, illegally of course.

Another, the largest lake, ducks are dumped often, and die within a year. There is no shelter and no one feeds them during winter.
Those are my three local places, are they safe?
No. They're malnourished and die off.
I've heard so, so many similar stories, some are even worse. Very rarely you hear of a domestic duck surviving over a year, seemingly healthy in a good pond.
Very rarely.

 

[GranderTheGander]

Firstly, no one here thinks dumped domestics are worthless dirt? Nor do the wildlife groups, or RSPB even, who I have spoken to on this subject.
Let me use examples of my local ponds and the dumped ducks nearby.
Two dumped late last year, one dead already, one hanging on, a female in a pond of drakes.
People feed her rubbish, mainly bread. I have tried to give her healthier foods, and she wont touch them.

The other local pond, just recently someone shot all the ducks and left their bodies stacked to one side, it was done for sport with an air rifle, illegally of course.

Another, the largest lake, ducks are dumped often, and die within a year. There is no shelter and no one feeds them during winter.
Those are my three local places, are they safe?
No. They're malnourished and die off.
I've heard so, so many similar stories, some are even worse. Very rarely you hear of a domestic duck surviving over a year, seemingly healthy in a good pond.
Very rarely.

I understand what you are saying. I'm not claiming domestics can survive is all places or should be left in all places. What type of healthy food are you trying to feed the female duck that she won't eat? I only had one case of domestics wanting nothing but bread. It was three dumped Easter pekins who wanted nothing but bread for weeks. It was summer, though, so they weren't in really real danger of malnutrition. After so many weeks, however, they started grabbing the whole corn and other feed as fast as the other ducks.

No one HERE thinks domestic ducks are worthless ducks. This is a forum for domestic poultry. But you are sadly mistaken if you don't think there are countless wildlife individuals who think the lives of domestic fowl birds are totally worthless, except for food, and their deaths mean nothing. You have heard so many stories, but what you have heard is not the story of the lives of all free domestic ducks in all locations. You are generalizing by saying so.

That's not to suggest you should not believe what you do. I think you should believe whatever you think is true, but I don't share your beliefs about the matter, and nothing you say is going to make me disregard what I personally saw and experienced for years. Please don't think I'm being hostile here, either. I'm not.

 

[BelovedBirds]

I understand what you are saying. I'm not claiming domestics can survive is all places or should be left in all places. What type of healthy food are you trying to feed the female duck that she won't eat? I only had one case of domestics wanting nothing but bread. It was three dumped Easter pekins who wanted nothing but bread for weeks. It was summer, though, so they weren't in really real danger of malnutrition. After so many weeks, however, they started grabbing the whole corn and other feed as fast as the other ducks.

No one HERE thinks domestic ducks are worthless ducks. This is a forum for domestic poultry. But you are sadly mistaken if you don't think there are countless wildlife individuals who think the lives of domestic fowl birds are totally worthless, except for food, and their deaths mean nothing. You have heard so many stories, but what you have heard is not the story of the lives of all free domestic ducks in all locations. You are generalizing by saying so.

That's not to suggest you should not believe what you do. I think you should believe whatever you think is true, but I don't share your beliefs about the matter, and nothing you say is going to make me disregard what I personally saw and experienced for years. Please don't think I'm being hostile here, either. I'm not.

I've tried everything from waterfowl feed, to oats, and veggie treats, she'll quite happily take a few peas, the only thing I can get her to take, which is okay, but nothing else except bread and the other stuff the locals have fed her. Her sister was taken by a fox a while after christmas, and the pond is mainly filled with drakes so spring is looking dangerous. I'm trying to earn her trust and get her out of there before the breeding chaos starts. Last time I saw her she wasn't looking too healthy, and we've just had a big storm. Pretty worried about the poor duck. Like I said, this area has a few ponds and lakes, none of which are safe

 

[BelovedBirds]

I understand what you are saying. I'm not claiming domestics can survive is all places or should be left in all places. What type of healthy food are you trying to feed the female duck that she won't eat? I only had one case of domestics wanting nothing but bread. It was three dumped Easter pekins who wanted nothing but bread for weeks. It was summer, though, so they weren't in really real danger of malnutrition. After so many weeks, however, they started grabbing the whole corn and other feed as fast as the other ducks.

No one HERE thinks domestic ducks are worthless ducks. This is a forum for domestic poultry. But you are sadly mistaken if you don't think there are countless wildlife individuals who think the lives of domestic fowl birds are totally worthless, except for food, and their deaths mean nothing. You have heard so many stories, but what you have heard is not the story of the lives of all free domestic ducks in all locations. You are generalizing by saying so.

That's not to suggest you should not believe what you do. I think you should believe whatever you think is true, but I don't share your beliefs about the matter, and nothing you say is going to make me disregard what I personally saw and experienced for years. Please don't think I'm being hostile here, either. I'm not.

I know you arent being hostile, you sound very well meaning. The other person however sounds pretty hostile, laughing at all posts that disagree with him. Yet you're liking his posts, and that's coming off looking bad.

We can have a reasonable conversation about this without people being dismissive, rude or mocking. I don't think anything I have said is wrong, and certainly not where I live, this environment is very harsh at times